Bridging the Gap

Bridging the Gap

85 mins | Nov. 19, 2008

Twenty-six-year-old Daniel Knoop is, as he phrases it at the beginning of the film, a member of a spoiled generation of 'paper idealism'. He chooses to put his idealism into practice, and travels to Cameroon as a development-aid worker, as part of a UN project involving the exploitation of natural resources. But can Daniel make a difference in a world that is obviously not his, not in the last place because his homosexuality is punishable there? Van Egeraat followed the level-headed man from Groningen for over a year for this intimate, layered portrait, a period in which Knoop's idealism is thoroughly put to the test, both in the professional and personal sphere. The film smoothly transects these two layers, so the professional struggles (with corrupted local authorities and the impeding bureaucracy of international relief organisations) are coloured by Daniel's personal doubts and frustrations.

Bridging the Gap

85 mins | Nov. 19, 2008

Bridging the Gap
Twenty-six-year-old Daniel Knoop is, as he phrases it at the beginning of the film, a member of a spoiled generation of 'paper idealism'. He chooses to put his idealism into practice, and travels to Cameroon as a development-aid worker, as part of a UN project involving the exploitation of natural resources. But can Daniel make a difference in a world that is obviously not his, not in the last place because his homosexuality is punishable there? Van Egeraat followed the level-headed man from Groningen for over a year for this intimate, layered portrait, a period in which Knoop's idealism is thoroughly put to the test, both in the professional and personal sphere. The film smoothly transects these two layers, so the professional struggles (with corrupted local authorities and the impeding bureaucracy of international relief organisations) are coloured by Daniel's personal doubts and frustrations.
Producers
Original title Bridging the Gap
Directors Katja Draaijer, Corinne van Egeraat
Writers

Cast